KEY POINTS:
Department of Conservation staff armed with rat traps will descend upon Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf this morning to catch a rat in what has been a totally pest-free reserve since 2004.
Inky rat footprints were found on a tracking tunnel near the Sea Scouts' hut on the northern end of the island.
DoC workers are taking a sniffer dog with them to help find the rodent, which eats birds' eggs.
